any suggestions,,,,vegetable,, corn, herb,, medicine wheel?,,lots of rabbits and deer,,,,might be a big problem 1 years ago I tried one near the tree line,,but animals ate everything,,and the bugs ate us,,,,,lol all day sun exposure,,

You certainly have space to work with and I would be tempted to incoporate whatever I wanted into it.The first thing to decide is what you want. Do you want a veggie garden? Perennials? Shade? Trees & Shrubs? Do you want hardscaping as well as plants? Personally I'd look at everything and then map it out on paper. Toss some ideas around. You'll want to choose plants that are deer resistant. There are a number that deer won't bother with. You can do a google search to find the ones that are good in your area. For a veggie garden, I would plan on double fencing it. This is essentially a fence inside a fence. From what I've read and heard from friends, deer will not jump something if they can't see what's on the other side. As for rabbits, Daisy suggested buying wire garbage pails from the $$ store to cover the plants until they are big enough that the rabbits won't bother with them.

I love your property BTW, it looks absolutely wonderful and like a real challenge!

LynAB, Zone 3A----------------------------------“Those who say it can't be done are usually interrupted by others doing it.” ` James Arthur Baldwin"

heading out today and removing the wild flower to see what I'm left with,,To the left I have a 800 sqft kennel,,that hasn't beenused in 10 years,,but with a crush stone base,, there's not much I could grow in there,,but maybe,,

wow. I can see how you'd be overwhelmed. So much space, and soo many options.

I would consider getting a professional to plan out the area. There are several places that will offer this service starting at $50 for an in-house sketch,(Sheridan Nursery). I would make a list of plants you know you want, the feel you want, and what you want to be able to do out there. And they could help you plan it and work on fencing and other animal deterrents.

The kennel area could be turned into an entertaining space. It could also be turned into a rock garden. Maybe a bit of a Zen feel to it.

Donaldmccarthy wrote:any suggestions,,,,vegetable,, corn, herb,, medicine wheel?,,lots of rabbits and deer,,,,might be a big problem 1 years ago I tried one near the tree line,,but animals ate everything,,and the bugs ate us,,,,,lol all day sun exposure,,

More detail would be useful. Are you doing the work yourself? Do you have any garden powered mechanical equipment? What Zone are you in? How large do you want the vegetable garden? Are you on a tight budget?

The growing property must be fenced to exclude animals. A good dog is almost essential to chase critters.

I have 0.4 of an acre. It was simply grass four years ago, and I am just now getting it in ideal shape for my purposes. I did all the work myself, including drainage tiles, but it takes time and hard work.

I will do all the work myself,,Medicine wheel,,green house,,maybe different pockets,, vegetable one area,,scrubs,per,,and annuals,,I like a Lilac Alley,there are quite a variety in the area,,wild flower section,,water garden,,
wondering if anyone has experience with non circulating pump concept for different levels of pond,,,,there is a spring feed,,that I might be able to incorporate

Donaldmccarthy wrote:I will do all the work myself,,Medicine wheel,,green house,,maybe different pockets,, vegetable one area,,scrubs,per,,and annuals,,I like a Lilac Alley,there are quite a variety in the area,,wild flower section,,water garden,,wondering if anyone has experience with non circulating pump concept for different levels of pond,,,,there is a spring feed,,that I might be able to incorporate

Hey! I am just up the road from you in Brantford. I know Guelph well since I use to live in Guelph (2 years), and work at the University about 1970. Maybe you should drop around to my place for some practical ideas. Just let me know.

Last edited by Durgan on Apr 17, 2008 2:15 pm, edited 1 time in total.

wow...what a beautiful space....I am drooling. I suggest a couple of cans of spray paint. you can use it to outline beds and even draw the space required in each bed for mature shrubs and perennials. It is a great way to visualize how you would like to divide the space...if you don't like what it looks like.... wait a few days and mow and start over. I use spray paint all the time when I am working with a big space....if you want an environmentally more friendly way (maybe not so good for an entire acre) a bag of flower with a hole punched in it is good too.